Trust Ventures has secured $35m for its inaugural fund from investors including Koch Disruptive Technologies to invest in sectors where public policy is proving a hurdle to startups.

JLL Spark has been established with a $100m commitment to tap into the proptech space.

Ripple will pour $50m into R&D at 17 academic institutions, including institutions in the US, UK, India and Brazil.

The ride hailing firm has launched Grab Ventures, which is set to make eight to 10 investments over the next two years, and established an accelerator called Velocity.

Huobi and Kiwoom Securities have joined forces with NewMargin Capital to launch a blockchain-focused investment fund.

Hironao Kunimitsu, founder and CEO of Gumi, and Miko Matsumura, founder of virtual currency exchange Evercoin, are leading Gumi Cryptos.

Emory Healthcare will join Innovation Hub Enterprises to raise a venture fund for consumer-focused healthcare models and technologies.

The cryptocurrency exchange has revealed a $1bn fund that will invest in blockchain technology developers and cryptocurrency startups.

Northwestern is the third US university, after Vanderbilt and Johns Hopkins, to team up with Deerfield Management for an investment fund.